Gregory Thornton out as Baltimore schools CEO

Baltimore City School Board makes announcement Tuesday

In a surprise move, the Baltimore City School Board is replacing its CEO. The board announced Tuesday night that this is the last week for Dr. Gregory Thornton. His replacement, Dr. Sonya Santelises, will begin in July.

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The news came as a surprise to the public, but the board of school commissioners said it has been working with Thornton on his exit since December.

"The objective for both Dr. Thornton and the board is to be collaborative in the approach of how we move this thing forward and do this transition without impacting the students in a negative way," said Marnell Cooper, chairman of the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners.

Cooper said the board began its search for Thornton's replacement in January, interviewing eight candidates. The process took months, but some at City Hall said the announcement blindsided them.

"I was really shocked and I felt that they shouldn't have done it in secrecy. They should have let the leaders of the city know, because No. 1, we get the blame for the schools. The school system is the reason why a lot of families leave the city of Baltimore, and this musical chairs of CEOs coming and going with that school system is really hurting us here in the city of Baltimore," City Council President Jack Young said.

The mayor declined to give details but said she has regular conversations with the school board and knew about the change before the announcement.

"This was a mutual decision between the Baltimore City school board and the former or current soon-to-be-former CEO, and I respect their decision," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said.

The mayor said that most major cities have a high turnover rate for police chiefs and school CEOs, and Baltimore is no exception.

"Does that lead in Baltimore and other places, to President Young's point, sometimes to a family's lack of confidence? Of course, but that is a challenge in major school districts as we push for educational excellence," Rawlings-Blake said.

Thornton released a letter Tuesday, citing his accomplishments and saying, "It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve all of you, and I'm so proud of what we have accomplished together. I leave knowing that the district is now on solid footing."

The president of the teacher's union also released a statement saying she too was surprised and praising Thornton's work in the district, but also saying she's looking forward to working with Santelises.